In what was an unusually busy night of boxing in Southern California -- which saw three notable cards within a 50 mile radius -- it was Jermell Charlo who captured the evening by stopping Brian Castano in their rematch to capture the undisputed junior middleweight title at the Dignity Health Sport Park in Carson.
In a fight that was befitting 'the War Grounds' the second go-around of this rivalry added another memorable chapter to this venue, which is really a tennis stadium that is now best known for right crosses and left hooks more than serves and backhands.
For the first six rounds, Charlo-Castano II looked a lot like their original encounter last summer in San Antonio, Texas, that saw them deadlocked after 12 heated rounds. The consensus was that it was Castano who deserved to have his hands raised in victory.
Stephanie Trapp, Showtime Sports
Halfway through, it looked like Castano's pressure would once again carry the action, but this time around it was the fiery Charlo who showed more dimensions to his overall attack. Not only was his superior athletically from the outside, but he was faster off the trigger than the Argentine. But beyond that, his punches had a more concussive effect.
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Castano would consistently come forward and try to close ground but it was apparent that he was getting worn down by the laser shots of Charlo.
Finally, he succumbed in round 10, collapsing twice, not so much from one big punch that round, but from an accumulation of the past several. Castano was the bull, Charlo the hard-hitting matador, who finally gored him late.
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At the time of the stoppage, the scores read 88-83, 87-84 and and 89-82 for Charlo who found an extra gear down the stretch.
Stephanie Trapp, Showtime Sports
With that, he has joined an exclusive club of fighters who have had possession of all four major belts at one time. This membership includes Canelo Alvarez, Josh Taylor, Oleksandr Usyk, Terence Crawford, Jermain Taylor, and Bernard Hopkins.
Boxing's real life Clubber Lang, who has a chip on his shoulder the size of the Rock of Gibraltar, has firmly stamped himself as not only the king of 154, but one of the sports elite.
BOOTS
Is there a better non-belt holder in boxing than Jaron 'Boots' Ennis?
Once again Philly's Phinest showed that he is a threat to any welterweight -- and yes, that means Errol Spence and Terence Crawford -- by blowing out the solid Custio Clayton in two short rounds. It was an overhand right that came down like a guillotine that brought about a quick end to the proceedings.
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With the win, he is now the top-rated welteweight by the IBF, who's belt is around the waist of Spence. Chances are that Spence will bypass this fight, and you can't really blame him if he faces Crawford in that long awaited showdown for all the marbles at 147.
Stephanie Trapp, Showtime Sports
But it's clear that Ennis wants a title shot sooner rather than later. He made it clear to Jim Gray of Showtime who and what he wants next.
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He may not get his wish. The feeling here has been for awhile that Ennis is one of those fighters who will only get a title shot once it becomes mandated, or vacated. No world champion is facing him willingly at this juncture.
THE REST
- Meanwhile at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez made quick work of the overmatched Dominic Boesel in four rounds. This contest was billed as an WBA light heavyweight eliminator, meaning that in theory, Ramirez is now next in line to face Dmitry Bivol for that belt.
Tom Hogan for Golden Boy Promotions
For the statuesque southpaw from Mexico, this was his third consecutive stoppage. Yeah, it hasn't exactly been murderers row (faded versions of Sullivan Barrera and Yunieski Gonzalez) but it's clearly a more aggressive and assertive boxer under the direction of bright young trainer, Julian Chua.
Last autumn as a Bivol-Ramirez fight was discussed, there was mild interest in this match-up. Now fast forward to May of 2022, and with the recent events that have taken place, suddenly, this is a bout that is suddenly much more palatable to boxing fans.
- Sergey Kovalev made his cruiserweight debut at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, and he clearly out-pointed Turvel Pulev over 10 rounds. In this weight class he is no longer 'the Krusher' a guy who will hit through his opponents like he did during his day as a feared light heavyweight champion. Now, he will have to pick and probe his way to victory by relying largely on his left jab.
Sye Williams, Triller
At age 39, weighing a career-high 196.5 pounds, Kovalev looked pretty solid. Now, whether he's truly a threat for the likes of Mairis Breidis, Lawrence Okolie or Junior Makabu, remains to be seen. But what Kovalev does bring to this division is a bit of name recognition, at the very least.
- While Kovalev was the main event of 'Trillerverz 5', the central focus of this card were the three sons of Fernando Vargas (he of 'the Royal Nut Sack') who highlighted the undercard. Both Amado and Fernando Jr. came away with victories, and then the pro debut of Emiliano, who is the most highly touted of the trio.
Just 18 years old, he is the one with the deepest amateur background. Insiders have been touting him for a few years as a bona-fide blue-chip prospect. In what was his pro debut, he was electrifying in stopping Mark Salgado in one round.
Sye Williams, Triller
Like his father, he just seems to have a certain star quality about him. His journey is just beginning, but he looks like a boxer to keep an eye on moving forward. It was announced on Friday before the weigh-in that the 'Vargas Dynasty' had inked an exclusive multi-year deal with Triller.
FINAL FLURRIES
The always entertaining William Zepeda got 10 tough rounds against rugged veteran, Rene Alvarado on the 'Zurdo' undercard....Does Tim Tszyu get that shot at Charlo next? I know some think he isn't ready, but the reality is that he's 27 years old, has 21 fights under his belt, and his rated number one by one of the sanctioning bodies....Never thought I'd see Onyz live in 2022, but I did this past weekend at the Forum...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....
